Method and framework for suspending acoustic absorption medium

ABSTRACT

A quickly erectable framework for supporting a curtain includes at least two standards. Each standard includes a shaft having a capital end and a base end, the base end. A clevis bracket affixed to the capital end of each standard suspends at least one curtain track configured, when the framework is in its erected state, to span horizontally an interspace between the two standards, the track being affixed to each of the capital ends by means of the clevis bracket. A plurality of trolleys is each configured to transit along the track while suspending an edge of a curtain. At least one edge scissor assembly is affixed at opposite ends to span the interspace between the standards. Each scissor assembly includes a plurality of scissor arms hingedly connected to one another.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is configured to suspend a curtain track and trolleys from an erectable framework, more specifically, a rapidly erectable framework.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

U.S. Pat. No. 6,446,751 issued Sep. 10, 2002 to Ahuja, et al. is entitled “Apparatus and method for reducing noise levels” (incorporated in its entirety by this reference or any reference to Ahuja, et al.) and teaches details of a flexible sound shielding curtain which contains a plurality of sound insulating sheet inserts encased within pockets or otherwise secured on the exterior surfaces of the panels of a curtain. Running along existing tracks, the described curtain has enjoyed popularity in hospital emergency rooms allowing care givers to speak in conversational volumes without being drowned out by ambient noise of care providers workin in adjoining bays.

The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, officially named the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 (Mw) undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred on Friday, 11 Mar. 2011. The earthquake triggered extremely destructive tsunami waves of up to 38.9 metres (128 ft,) that struck Japan, in some cases traveling up to 10 km (6 ml.) inland. In addition to loss of life and destruction of infrastructure, the tsunami caused a number of nuclear accidents. In the Tohoku region, including its capital, Sendai, hospital facilities that had not been damaged by the triple disaster, were quickly overwhelmed by the influx of injured Japanese. Athletic facilities such as gymnasiums and stadia were rapidly converted to use as makeshift hospitals or clinics especially for triage and treatment. These makeshift clinics served but the manifold deficiencies in the environment lead to mistaken actions based upon misheard orders, accidental or unavoidable dissemination of private facts as well as compromised physical privacy occasioned by the unavoidable proximity of fellow victims.

The lack of structure isolating victims one from another and from other operations of the makeshift clinics resulted in deficiencies in treatment and occasioned a sense in the victims that they were not being optimally treated. Had the care providers deployed the acoustic curtain taught by Ahuja, et al., the attenuation of ambient noise as well as the sense of well-being that acoustic isolation provides to recuperating patients might have enhanced outcomes in actual, measurable ways. The lack of any effective means to suspend the curtain in these temporary settings without the standard rails commonly installed in domestic hospital emergency rooms, has resulted in suboptimal care of these unfortunate victims. What is lacking in the art is a suitable means to readily adapt the settings of these temporary clinics to employ the Ahuja, et al. curtain.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A quickly erectable framework for supporting a curtain includes at least two standards. Each standard includes a shaft having a capital end and a base end, the base end. A clevis bracket affixed to the capital end of each standard suspends at least one curtain track configured, when the framework is in its erected state, to span horizontally an interspace between the two standards, the track being affixed to each of the capital ends by means of the clevis bracket. A plurality of trolleys is each configured to transit along the track while suspending an edge of a curtain. At least one edge scissor assembly is affixed at opposite ends to span the interspace between the standards. Each scissor assembly includes a plurality of scissor arms hingedly connected to one another.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred and alternative examples of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of the rapidly erectable framework in a hangar;

FIG. 2 is a composite illustration of standards, curtain tracks, and transoms in a perspective view of the framework;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of an exemplary clinic defined by modules of the framework;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a transom spanning an interspace between two curtain tracks and being used to support various medical equipment;

FIG. 5 is a cutaway view of the framework overdraped with an all-weather membrane;

FIG. 6 is a detail cutaway of an exemplary curtain track and trolley system;

FIG. 7 is a detail cutaway of the exemplary curtain track and trolley system as suspended on a standard by a clevis bracket;

FIG. 8 is a detail cutaway of the exemplary curtain track and trolley system as suspended on a transom by a clevis pin;

FIG. 9 is a cutaway view of an exemplary cabling bracket;

FIG. 10 is a side view of the exemplary curtain track and trolley system as suspended on a standard by a clevis bracket; and

FIG. 11 is a side view of the exemplary curtain track and truss work configured to suspend the overdraping membrane of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary structure, in this case hangar 3, configured for temporary use as a hospital. Within the hangar 3, are food and water supplies on shelves 5, communications and data consoles 7 for coordinating relief efforts, and the instant subject, the portable framework 10 used to define operatories for surgery or treatment and recupratories for recovering relief victims. Notable in the figure is the freestanding nature of the framework 10 supporting the curtains 11 providing spatial definition and separation from the surrounding operations. The curtains 11 likewise provide the privacy necessary to allow recovering patients to relax and recuperate.

Consider the environment in such a hangar 3. Multiple activities are based together out of necessity. Communications consoles 7 are inherently noisy due to the vocal communication that must occur, even with the use of headsets. Movement on supplies onto and off of shelves 5 is usually done without sufficient regard for the well-being of the recovering victims even if the traditional “Quiet—Hospital Zone” signs were festooned throughout the hangar 3. In short, the necessity of siting multiple functions in a single hangar drives the necessity of providing acoustical and, as well, visual isolation for the patients.

The framework 10 is freestanding and holds the curtains of the Ahuja, et al. curtain 11 or any curtain (the invention being the framework) that might provide isolation. The freestanding nature of the framework 10 assures that it requires no support from existing structure and, in some situations, may be used in an outdoor environment. Similarly, given its configuration, the framework 10 is readily delivered to and removed from remote locations.

Notable is the extendable scissor-type truss work 12 that separates the standards 17. It is this truss work 12 that allows the expansion and the collapse of the framework 10 for transportation to and from sites for mobile clinics. In the presently preferred embodiment, the standards 17 are connected both by the presence of a curtain track 13 which provides rigidity and the truss work 12. The standards 17 are shafts having a base and a capital end. The base is configured to provide the load bearing contact with a ground or floor while the capital end is configured to engage the truss work 12 and to present attachment sites to the track 13 and truss work 12. The base of the standard may, optionally, include a ground engaging device selected from a group consisting of a foot; an extendable leg; a spike; a suction cup; a glider; and a caster.

The truss work 12 includes a plurality of edge scissor assemblies whereby each of said edge scissor assemblies interconnects peripherally adjacent ones of said support members, each said edge scissor assembly including a plurality of scissor arms hingedly connected to one another, at least two of said scissor arms defining articulating members formed by at least two articulating arm sections that are movable between a folded state when the expandable framework is in the collapsed state and an erected state when the expandable framework is in the expanded state. The extendible scissors-type truss work includes, in the non-limiting preferred embodiment, the “Reinforcement Member for an Extendible Scissors Truss” for which the U.S. granted Pat. No. 4,885,891 to Lynch on Dec. 12, 1989, the patent being fully incorporated here as if set out in its entirety, by this reference. Other truss works 12 might work as well and the incorporation of this particular truss work is not to the exclusion of other that would provide sufficient support and separation between standards 17 as the object of the invention is provide collapsible support for the track 13.

Referring to FIG. 2, those portions of framework 10 that are dedicated to the support and operations of the curtains 11 are shown. Two of the principal elements of the framework 10 are shown, the ledgers or tracks 13 and the standards 17. The standards 17 are the upright elements which support the tracks 13 giving them suitable separation from the ground. Notable is the fact that the tracks 13 serve the purpose that ledgers might if they were present, which is to keep the standards apart at a fixed distance. A transom 15 is also shown. As will be discussed below, the transom 15 may be used to support equipment, to provide rigidity to the framework 10 or to affix a spatial relation between two frameworks 10 giving the ability to configure additional operatories in the formed interspace.

As is the case throughout the discussion of the exemplary framework 10, wherever possible, components to the framework 10 are formed by means of extrusion, generally of aluminum. Extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile. A material, such as aluminum, is pushed or drawn through a die of the desired cross-section. The two main advantages of this process over other manufacturing processes are its ability to create very complex cross-sections and work materials that are brittle, because the material only encounters compressive and shear stresses. It also forms finished parts with an excellent surface finish. For purposes of the framework 10, these advantages make it relatively inexpensive to produce precision components, especially the tracks 13.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the standards 17, the tracks 13 and the transoms 15 give the framework 10 a modular character. By modular, the framework is a system where each framework 10 (module) can be independently created and then used in different systems to drive multiple functionalities. The framework 10 are discrete elements when configured together provide scalable results. The individual framework 10 modules are reusable elements each consisting of isolated, self-contained functional elements.

Besides reduction in cost (due to lesser customization, and less learning time), and flexibility in design, modularity offers other benefits such as augmentation (adding new solution by merely plugging in a new module), and exclusion. Modular design exploits advantages of standardization (high volume normally equals low manufacturing costs) with those of customization. As shown in FIG. 3, selective use of the three elements (standards 17, tracks 13, and transoms 15) for the framework 10 forms a functioning clinic 20 having three patient bed areas 25, an ICU 23, and a full operatory 21 separated by a corridor 27 to allow access into each of the separate cells that the tracks 13 define.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, this modularity is further demonstrated by the use of the transoms 15 in conjunction with the standards 17 and tracks 13 bearing curtains 11. Shown is a corridor 27 in the interspace between a pair of curtained recuperatories, a transom 15 spans the interspace between two curtained tracks 13. At about a quarter of the span, an standard 17 is configured to include a desktop 31 and an interactive monitor 33 tied to a network with cabling supported by cable hooks 35 that engage the transom 17 at regular intervals. The corridor 27 is, thereby, wheelchair-passable and presents no hazard to pedestrian traffic due to the cabling.

Likewise, when the corridor 27 is used, as is often the case, as a landing for patients moving between the operatories 21 and any other spot in the clinic 20. To facilitate those moves without the use of mobile IV stands, a distinct IV hook 37 is arranged to hang IV drip bags 39 for landed patients. Alternatively, the standard 17 can be likewise configured to accommodate the hanging of IV drip bags 39. In either regard, the corridor 27 remains fully functional without clutter often present with the additional of rolling stands.

In one embodiment of the framework 10 provides shelter from sun or precipitation by optionally including a membrane 19 to transform the framework 3 into a tent. Such a tent has utility as a rapidly assembled configuration for imparting privacy in an outdoor setting. For example, in a piece run by the Seattle Times on Oct. 4, 1996:

-   -   Fire Department Sued Over Decontamination—Woman: Forced To Strip         For Unnecessary Rinse     -   FEDERAL WAY—A dental technician who says Federal Way         firefighters made her strip near a busy road for an unnecessary         decontamination shower sued the Fire Department yesterday,         claiming employees humiliated her and violated her privacy.     -   Heidi Garnett, 26, alleges in the lawsuit that firefighters         threatened to have her arrested if she did not comply with their         orders to decontaminate her after she spilled a small amount of         dental cleaning solution on her pants in August 1995.     -   Firefighters allegedly gave her a “final rinse” in a public         parking lot, during which she was told to open her towel facing         Military Road South. Firefighters sprayed her off while others         held a blanket between her and the busy street, the suit says.         The next day, a number of people who drove by the area told         Garnett they saw her naked, said her attorney, Chris Vick.

The framework 10 and membrane 19 could have been readily rigged to serve as a portable decontamination unit. The ability to rapidly deploy the framework 10 and to cover it lends sufficient utility to the device to insure its use in any situation where a treatment (decontamination is a treatment though not entirely medical in the traditional sense) can occur in closer physical proximity than without the covering membrane 19.

FIG. 6 is a nonlimiting example of a curtain track assembly 121 characterized by the relationship between the tracks 13 and the curtain 11. It is extremely important to understand that while the disclosure of channel track is used for illustrative purposes, there are, known in the art, other forms of rolled and extruded track 13 that will serve equally and over which curtain bearing trolleys will move in a similar fashion bearing the curtain 11. For example, little in this discussion is changed if the profile of the track 13 is an I-beam, a circular tube, a Meyn™ type profile, a Stork™ type T-beam profile, or a Linco™ type triangular profile, all of which can be characterized as a track 13 and trolley 14 system. These are commonly used to move material through factories such as to move poultry through a slaughterhouse or parts down an assembly line; the trolley 14 rides in monorail fashion along a track to traverse a distance. The selection of a track 13 that encloses a trolley 14 is an expression of the invention in its presently preferred embodiment which serves well as a platform for explanation of the working features of the track 13 in the framework 10.

The selection of the track 13 is generally to serve two inventive purposes. First, as discussed above, the track 13 is the rail along which the trolley 14 transits. Second, as discussed further above, the track serves as a ledger as that term is used in the erection of a scaffold, i.e. a horizontal member in a scaffold, attached to the standards to maintain spacing and rigidity. This second use of the track 13 is discussed below with reference to the clevis pin 132. To this end, the track 13 is perforated at regular intervals with clevis holes 131 that allow a clevis pin 132 to pass through and by means of the fastener affix hardware to the track 13 at discrete locations on the track 13.

Within the track 13, in this exemplary embodiment, the trolley 14 travels on trolley wheels 141, secured by one or more trolley axles 143 that pass through a trolley body 145. Optionally, the axle 143 is carried in a trolley axle sleeve or bearing 147 to allow turning with less friction. In a variant (not shown), half trolleys are used with each set of trolley wheels having its own axle affixed to a half trolley body. This variant is most advantageously used with an I-beam or inverted T-beam track to allow trolleys 14 to be affixed at a point between the ends of the track 13 by bolting trolley halves together to engage with the track 13.

The track 13, in this presently preferred embodiment, is a C-channel, known for its “C”-shaped profile which is basically rectangular with a centrally located interruption 133 on the bottom side of the rectangle, the interruption or hook gap 133 that two wheel races 135 define. The wheel races 135 provide courses for the trolley wheels 141.

In the presently preferred embodiment, the curtain 11 is suspended by a plurality of curtain carriers 111 affixed to an upper edge of the curtain 11. A linking connection 113 (shown here as carriage bolt but can be any of a number of links, including, for example, a turnbuckle, a threaded rod, a hook, a saddle, or any such mechanical connection) extending through the hook gap 133 to mechanically link each of a plurality of trolley bodies 115 to one of the plurality of curtain carriers 111, thus allowing the trolleys 14 to bear the weight of the curtain 11 as each, in turn, transits along the length of the track. As configured, the curtain 11 can be easily moved from an open to a closed position, as its weight is suspended by the trolleys 14 on the track 13.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the curtain track assembly 121 is fixed to a standard 17 by means of a clevis pin 132. A quick release pin is shown as the clevis pin 132. The function of the clevis pin 132 can be equivalently served by a bolt and nut, a dowel, a clevis pin held in place by a split pin, or any of a number or other fastener combinations that will serve to in combination with the clevis bracket 137 to form a shackle for holding the track. Thus, a threaded pin might be used to complete a threaded shackle. Alternately the clevis bracket 137 might be hinged to form a snap shackle.

In this context, a clevis pin 132 is one exemplary and nonlimiting description for a means to affix the clevis bracket 137 to the track assembly 121 and thereby to hold the track 13 affixed to the standard 17. In a presently preferred embodiment, the clevis bracket 137 is bolted to the standard 17 with a standard bolt 171 passing through the clevis bracket 137, into and through the standard 17 and a standard washer 173 where it is secured by a standard nut 175 in threaded engagement with the standard bolt 171. Alternatively, the track 13 can be affixed to a transom 15 for support by inserting the transom bolt 171 through the bracket in the top position as shown in phantom.

Referring to FIG. 8, a further alternative means of fixing the track assembly 121 in the framework 10 is shown. In this embodiment, the transom 15 cooperates with the clevis pin 132 to form the shackle thereby holding the track 13 relative to the transom 15. Insertion of the clevis pin 132 locks the transom 15 relative to the framework 10 and to the track 13.

FIG. 9 depicts the cable support bracket 35 engaged, holding cabling 36 and supported by the track 13. The shape of the bracket 35 and its conformity to the track allows it to be used in this nonlimiting exemplary embodiment without the further securing by bolt or pin means. Optionally, the bracket 35 can be secured with a clevis pin (not shown).

FIG. 10 depicts in side view (absent the scissor truss work) the relationship between the components depicted in FIG. 7 (there shown in cross-section) including the curtain track assembly 121 as it is fixed to a standard 17 by means of a clevis pin 132. A quick release pin is shown as the clevis pin 132. Once again, the function of the clevis pin 132 can be equivalently served by a bolt and nut, a dowel, a clevis pin held in place by a split pin, or any of a number or other fastener combinations that will serve to in combination with the clevis bracket to form a shackle for holding the track. Thus, a threaded pin might be used to complete a threaded shackle. Alternately the bracket might be hinged to form a snap shackle. Also again, in this context, a clevis pin 132 is one exemplary and nonlimiting description for a means to affix the clevis bracket 137 to the track 13, and thereby to hold the track 13 affixed to the standard 17.

In a presently preferred embodiment, the clevis bracket 137 is bolted to the standard 17 with a standard bolt 171 passing through the clevis bracket 137, into and through the standard 17 and a standard washer 173 where it is secured by a standard nut 175 in threaded engagement with the standard bolt 171. Alternatively, the track 13 can be affixed to a transom 15 for support by inserting the transom bolt 171 through the bracket in the top position as shown in phantom.

Referring to FIG. 11, as stated above with reference to FIG. 5, one embodiment of the framework 10 provides shelter from sun or precipitation by optionally including a membrane 19 to transform the framework 3 into a tent. In at least one embodiment, straps 191 and buckles 193 are used to secure the membrane 19 to the truss work 12 by attachment at the clevis bracket 137 where it joins the truss work 12. As above, this is not intended as the sole means of fixation of the membrane 19

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the curtain may include acoustic absorption medium such as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 6,446,751 issued Sep. 10, 2002 to Ahuja, et al. is entitled “Apparatus and method for reducing noise levels”. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow. 

1. A quickly erectable framework for supporting a curtain comprising: at least two standards, each standard including a shaft having a capital end and a base end, the base end; one clevis bracket affixed to the capital end of each standard; at least one curtain track configured, when the framework is in its erected state, to span horizontally an interspace between the two standards, the track being affixed to each of the capital ends by means of the clevis bracket; and a plurality of trolleys, the trolleys each configured to transit along the track while suspending collectively from the plurality of trolleys an edge of a curtain.
 2. The framework of claim 1 further comprising at least one edge scissor assembly affixed at opposite ends to span the interspace between the standards; each scissor assembly including: a plurality of scissor arms hingedly connected to one another, at least two of said scissor arms defining articulating members formed by at least two articulating arm sections that are movable between a folded state when the expandable framework is in the collapsed state and an aligned state when the expandable framework is in the expanded state whereby the two articulating arm sections are generally oriented along parallel axes with respect to one another, each said articulating member having a first outer end pivotally secured to one of said upper and lower mounts of a respective peripherally adjacent said support member.
 3. The framework of claim 1, further comprising: a membrane to overdrape the framework thereby forming a tent-like structure.
 4. The framework of claim 1, further comprising: a transom spanning between one of: capital ends of a first and a second standard; a first curtain track and a second curtain track and, the transom adding rigidity to the framework; and a capital end of a standard and a curtain track.
 5. The framework of claim 4, wherein: the transom further provides a fixation for equipment the framework supports.
 6. The framework of claim 1, wherein the base of the standard includes a ground engaging device selected from a group consisting of: a foot; an extendable leg; a spike; a suction cup; a glider; and a caster.
 7. The framework of claim 1, wherein the curtain includes acoustic absorption medium.
 8. A method for supporting a curtain from a quickly erectable framework comprising: erecting at least two standards, each standard including a shaft having a capital end and a base end, the base end; affixing one clevis bracket to the capital end of each standard; affixing to each of the capital ends by means of the clevis bracket at least one curtain track configured, when the framework is in its erected state, to span horizontally an interspace between the two standards; and suspending a plurality of trolleys on the curtain track, the trolleys each configured to transit along the track while suspending collectively from the plurality of trolleys an edge of a curtain.
 9. The method of claim 8 further comprising affixing at opposite ends to span the interspace between the standards at least one edge scissor assembly; each scissor assembly including: a plurality of scissor arms hingedly connected to one another, at least two of said scissor arms defining articulating members formed by at least two articulating arm sections that are movable between a folded state when the expandable framework is in the collapsed state and an aligned state when the expandable framework is in the expanded state whereby the two articulating arm sections are generally oriented along parallel axes with respect to one another, each said articulating member having a first outer end pivotally secured to one of said upper and lower mounts of a respective peripherally adjacent said support member.
 10. The method of claim 8, further comprising: overdraping a membrane on the framework thereby forming a tent-like structure.
 11. The method of claim 8, further comprising: affixing a transom to the framework, the transom adding rigidity to the framework, spanning between one of: capital ends of a first and a second standard; a first curtain track and a second curtain track; and a capital end of a standard and a curtain track.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein: the transom further provides a fixation for equipment the framework supports.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein the base of the standard includes a ground engaging device selected from a group consisting of: a foot; an extendable leg; a spike; a suction cup; a glider; and a caster.
 14. The method of claim 7, wherein the curtain includes acoustic absorption medium. 